Holocaust Remembrance Day/Philadelphia Premiere
Date: Monday, April 24
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: The Gershman Y

Director: Lola Doillon
Genre: Narrative
Country: Belgium, France
Year: 2016
Running Time: 94 min
Language: French with English subtitles

Sponsored by: Jan Felman and Harvey Schwartz, and Dr. Marcia Sachs Littell in memory of Dr. Franklin H. Littell z”l

Buy tickets HERE!

Landing the role of the titular Fanny over 10,000 other aspiring young actresses, newcomer Léonie Souchaud delivers a flawless performance as a brave youngster leading a band of orphans through Nazi-occupied France in this suspenseful and handsomely shot coming-of-age drama based on the autobiographical novel by Fanny Ben-Ami.

After the arrest of their father, 13-year-old Fanny and her two younger sisters Erika (Fantine Harduin) and Georgette (Juliane Lepoureau) are sent to a boarding school in France’s neutral territory. It isn’t long before their safety is compromised and Fanny and the other children are whisked away to yet another temporary safe haven in the Italian zone. There, under the care of the stern but tender Madame Forman (César-winning actress Cécile de France), Fanny is given a job in the kitchen helping out Elie (Victor Meutelet), an affable and attractive young cook eager to join the resistance. Unfortunately, Fanny’s new friendship is cut short when Mussolini’s regime falls and Madame Forman is forced to devise a plan to save her charges. Equipped with fake passports and new names, the children embark on their journey to the Swiss border by train under Madame Forman’s guidance. En route, as circumstances change for the worse, Madame relinquishes her leadership role to Fanny, who despite her mounting fears realizes she has no other choice but to forge ahead.